The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-03-04
NOMINATING IN WASHINGTON.
Curious Ways of Raising the Wind 8"
Adopted by Residents of the Capital.

Curious Ways of Raising the Wind"
Adopted by Residents of the Capital.
There are many curious wavs Of
making money in Washington" said
leading lawyer to me last night, writes
Carp" to the Cleveland Leader.
" The curbstone brokers here do q
better business than pawnlrokcrs Of
othcr cities, and they charge as high as
10 per cent. 4 month for money. There
are 10, 600 clerks In Washington. Nearly
half Of them live ahead of their salary
and not a fow speculate. These Inen are
always borrowing money, and they paw
2, 3, 5, and 10 per cent. a month for It,
''Thc business of lending. has grown to
such an extent that there are mon who
follow it as profession. The national
banks are concerned in IL Indirectly and
there are numbers of small banks which
do nothing else. These small banks;
have their agents among the clerks.
Such agents are generally employed in
the departments, and hauhinS firm
has one in each of the big buildings.
g This man gives out that he has a
little money to lend on his own hook
The borrower goes with him to his
bank, and with two good endorsors gcts
the money on his promissory note at
high rate of interest but the interest
is put In the note and not charged upon
It's face The bank then endorses This
note over to the national bank with
which 1t deals, and when the time
comes for payment the clerk pays il
or he finds the influences brought TO
boar which will turn him out OF Office
II he refuses to pay.
MANY prominent IN On with an eyetothc
main chance have been engaged in this
business through third parties, and there
is a bank now near the Post-OfTfce
Department whose capital comes from
a leading Ohio statesman who had
charge OF one OF the leading bureaus last
year"
How about speculation In Washing
toni"
This is the greatest place in the
world to speculate. Everyone docs it,
and women and men, poor and rich,
clcrks and Congressm mon, all watch the
ticker and bot on the rise and fall of
stocks. There are dozens of bucket
shops I'm Washington located near the
great departments, and there is one
within stones throw OF the Capitol
where you may find Congressman daily.
OF course, such speculation brings
ruin to many clerks" this gentleman
continued, and it brings about petty
dcfalcations TO the Government 1t is
on par with hundreds Of poker games
which arc played night after night here,
and speaking or this reminds Iuo that
know the inside history ofa little trouble
in connection with the Congressional
Library which has never been Published.
" Several years ago tho youHg man
connected with the Library who went
monthly to the Treasury With an order
from the Libra rian and brought the few
thousand dollars needed in bag re-
ported that he had lost the money. !
think it amounted to 3,UUO. He had
stepped, be said, into a restaurant and
had the lag down for moment When
he started TO go he found it had disap-
pearcd.
He reported his loss, and the state
ment WIS given out that the authorities
had perfect confidence i'm his honesty,
and some of them repaid the money
for bim. He was retained for a short
time in the Office and thUu disappeared.
" met in Boston the other day an
old lady who is a great friend Of q
wealthy Congressman or eX-Congrcss-
AN of that place, who is known to
the world as jolly guuj fellow. She
spoke to me about this Gcfals5tioH, and
told me that this Congressman had told
her That this 90 900 which was reported
to have been lost was in reality stolen
by the young man, and lost by him
to a General Of the Army and couple
of Congressman in a poker game the
night before. He had gotten the,dTaft
the day previous to the reported stealing
and cashed it.
Tho statesman and military man did
not, of Course, know where il CaIuc from.
but it is supposed that feati.y, il an in
vestiSatiUn was ordered, the fact Of their
pokor game would come To tho public.
they brought such Influences TO bcarthat
the young man was not prosecuted, and
the story be trumpod up was made TO
hold good"